A visit to The Wellcome Collection and introduction to St Bart’s Hospital’s new heritage and health model by Uschi Turoczy
05/12/2023 | Author: Uschi Turoczy
WAHWN's Go & See grant allowed me to join a work-related trip with Arts and Health NHS staff as well as fellow creatives in the Arts and Health sector, freelance practitioners and representatives from community-based organisations.
WAHWN's Go & See grant allowed me to join a work-related trip with Arts and Health NHS staff (including Esyllt George, Arts and Health Coordinator for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health board, who organised the trip) as well as fellow creatives in the Arts and Health sector, freelance practitioners and representatives from community-based organisations.
The trip was on Wednesday 22nd November; we visited The Welcome Collection as well as St Bart’s Hospital to hear about their heritage and health project.
Image 1: Outside St Bart’s Hospital. Left to Right: J ên Angharad, CEO Artis Community, Uschi Turoczy (creative writing for wellbeing facilitator), Sue Hunt (Visual Artist and participatory arts facilitator), Olivia Tutton-Thompson (Wellness Improvement Service, NHS), Esyllt George (Arts and Health Coordinator NHS, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board) and Jo Sullivan (Innovation and Engagement Officer NHS, Arts and Health).
The Wellcome Trust invited us to hear their strategic plans going forward in which further-reaching community-based work and building connections is a focus. We also spent time with their ‘Being Human’ exhibit as well as their current exhibition ‘The Cult of Beauty’, both of which were fascinating and have already inspired some interesting conversation in a creative writing for wellbeing workshop I deliver. Lots of food for thought!
Image 2: Me on the Holgarth Stairs in St Batholomew’s Hospital, North Wing.
Image 3: From The Cult of Beauty exhibition. Eszter Magyar (Makeupbrutalism) ‘It makes no sense to be beautiful if no one is ugly.’.
Image 4: From The Cult of Beauty exhibition. ‘Beauty Sensorium’ installation by Renaissance Goo x Baum & Leahy
Image 5: From The Cult of Beauty exhibition. ‘Beauty Sensorium’ installation by Renaissance Goo x Baum & Leahy. A multi-sensory installation using traditional apothecary beauty recipes and ingredients.
In the afternoon we were given a tour of the North Wing at St Bart’s Hospital, which houses the Hogarth Stairs (decorated by two vast canvases by William Hogarth), and is undergoing restoration before it’s reopened to provide a place of inspiration and reflection for patients, their visitors, staff and the wider community. The Great Hall within the building will also be a site for an active wellbeing programme, including innovative practices for staff to come together, therapeutic artmaking for patients for wellbeing and more. It was wonderful to reflect on the work being done in Arts and Health and connect with people who are passionate about providing and using art for therapeutic purposes.
Image 6: Ripley Scroll, a 17th century recreation of alchemist George Ripley’s alchemy for prolonging human life.
